Dual Citizenship Policies of Unrecognized States in the Post-Soviet Space: Comparative Case Study of Abkhazia and Transnistria

In the last three decades there has been a global trend towards the acceptance of dual citizenship among sovereign states. Similarly, unrecognized states have come to accept dual citizenship, albeit in varying degrees and for the same reasons. However, limited work has been done on dual citizenship policies of unrecognized states, with no comparative research been done amongst the unrecognized states in the post-Soviet space. This inter-disciplinary and explorative research has worked towards answering the question of what factors contribute to the adoption of divergent dual citizenship policies by unrecognized states in the post-Soviet space? By comparing Abkhazia and Transnistria, two cases having similar historical and political circumstances but having contrasting dual citizenship policies, it was possible to identify the contributory factors to these divergences. It was found that utilitarian concerns based on the need to improve the citizens’ welfare, the existence of a...Show moreIn the last three decades there has been a global trend towards the acceptance of dual citizenship among sovereign states. Similarly, unrecognized states have come to accept dual citizenship, albeit in varying degrees and for the same reasons. However, limited work has been done on dual citizenship policies of unrecognized states, with no comparative research been done amongst the unrecognized states in the post-Soviet space. This inter-disciplinary and explorative research has worked towards answering the question of what factors contribute to the adoption of divergent dual citizenship policies by unrecognized states in the post-Soviet space? By comparing Abkhazia and Transnistria, two cases having similar historical and political circumstances but having contrasting dual citizenship policies, it was possible to identify the contributory factors to these divergences. It was found that utilitarian concerns based on the need to improve the citizens’ welfare, the existence of a diaspora, the type of national identity (civic/ethnic), and the level of influence exerted by the patron state – Russia, all contribute in varying degrees to the level of liberalness of the two unrecognized states’ dual citizenship policies.Show less

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Dual Citizenship Policies of Unrecognized States in the Post-Soviet Space: Comparative Case Study of Abkhazia and Transnistria